Back in 2018, we made a bold decision to bid farewell to our jobs and leave behind our California apartment, embarking on a journey of slow travel across the globe. Now, after five transformative years, we find ourselves having experienced countless destinations, all made possible by the magic of Airbnb. As we reflect on this remarkable journey, we’d like to share the 70+ incredible places we stayed at, the valuable lessons we’ve learned from utilizing Airbnb, and the top tips we’ve gathered to make the most of our stays in these diverse and unforgettable places. Are you ready to dig in?
For those who are new to this blog, it’s important to know that we chose to retire from our traditional 9-5 job in our mid-30s to pursue our passion for exploring the world to the fullest. Our main objectives were to spend more quality time with friends and family, live a regret-free life, and immerse ourselves in our greatest love for travel.
To make our slow travel lifestyle sustainable, we made a conscious decision to stay in each city we visited for at least one month. In pursuit of finding great and comfortable accommodations to support our lifestyle, we have really been enjoying using Airbnb. This platform not only catered to our evolving needs but also provided us with a wide array of accommodation options, perfectly tailored to our preferences.
Before sharing every single one of them, let’s look at where we’ve been this past 5 years.
Our Itinerary During 5 Years of Slow Travel
During our first five years of nomadic travel, we have visited 18 countries and stayed in 48 destinations!
List of countries we visited:
- Aruba
- Australia
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Fiji
- France
- Indonesia
- Italy
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Montenegro
- Portugal
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- The USA
- Vietnam
List of places we stayed at:
Here is the list of cities sorted in alphabetical order and without the country names:
- Begur
- Brisbane
- Cabries
- Chiang Mai
- Coolum Beach
- Da Nang
- Douro Valley
- George Town
- Grenoble
- Hanoi
- Hualien
- Kaohsiung
- Kenting
- Koh Lanta
- Koh Samui
- Koh Lipe
- Koh Tao
- Kotor
- Kuala Lumpur
- La Chapelle-Saint-Sauveur
- La Spezia
- Lake Como
- Langkawi
- Lausanne
- Lisbon
- Montreal
- Nadi (Fiji)
- Ninh Binh
- Oaxaca City
- Oranjestad (Aruba)
- Penghu (Taiwan)
- Porto
- Prato
- Puerto Vallarta
- Québec City
- Sa Riera (Spain)
- Saint Malo
- San Miguel de Allende
- Siem Reap
- South Lake Tahoe
- Sydney
- Taipei
- Taichung
- Tainan
- Tanah Rata (Cameron Highlands)
- Taichung
- Tepoztlan
- Ubud
All the places we stayed at
While our primary choice has been Airbnb for most of our stays, we’ve also explored a few other booking platforms along the way. In the spirit of transparency, we’ll be sharing these alternative accommodations as well. So, if you happen to find a place that piques your interest, you can easily book it with just one click and save yourself the trouble of the extensive research we’ve done to vet them.
Airbnbs
Please find below EVERY SINGLE Airbnbs we’ve had the pleasure of staying at during the past 5 years, listed in the order we visited them, starting from our first rental back in July 2018. For each of these places, we’ve included links to the listings and try to add pictures to give you a glimpse of them. When application we also provide a link to the relevant destination report we wrote about the area, where you can delve into our experiences, activities, and expenses specific to that location.
NOTE: Please keep in mind that due to the dynamic nature of online listings, it’s possible that some of these links might no longer be active by the time you come across this article. If you encounter any broken links, we kindly request you to let us know by leaving a comment in the comments section below. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
2018
Montreal (Canada)
Québec City (Canada)
Puerto Vallarta (Mexico)
Mexico City (Mexico)
Tepoztlan (Mexico)
Oaxaca City (Mexico)
San Miguel de Allende (Mexico)
2019
Aruba
South Lake Tahoe (USA)
- Airbnb – Lake Tahoe Resort
- Destination Report (Not available)
Saint Malo (France)
- Airbnb – Charming apartment 80m2 intramural
- Destination Report (Not available)
Porto (Portugal)
Lisbon (Portugal)
La Chapelle-Saint-Sauveur (France)
- Airbnb – Justine and Benoît’s
- Destination Report (Not available)
Grenoble (France)
- Airbnb – Large Studio at the Station
- Destination Report (Not available)
Kotor (Montenegro)
Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Koh Lanta (Thailand)
2020
George Town (Malaysia)
Tanah Rata (Malaysia / Cameron Highlands)
- Airbnb – The Quintet Condominium
- Destination Report (Not available)
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
- Airbnb – Bukit Bintang Great KL View, Stay-at-Home Vacation
- Destination Report (Not available)
Da Nang (Vietnam)
- Airbnb – D2-Modern and Perfect apartment – long/short term
- Destination Report (Not available)
Ubud (Indonesia / Bali)
Taipei – Da’An (Taiwan)
- Airbnb – Japanese Style 3Bdr Apt in Da’an by NTU (Quarantine AirBnb)
- Destination Report (Not available)
Taipei – Ximen #1 (Taiwan)
- Airbnb – Ximen Town (Jacuzzi♨ + Tumble dryer + Big balcony)
- Destination Report (Not available)
Taipei – Ximen #2 (Taiwan)
- Airbnb – Pink-Ximen @ Taipei Ximen
- Destination Report (Not available)
First trip outside of Taipei (Taiwan)
- Hualien City – AIrbnb – Downtown Large Bright Studio
- Kaohsiung – Airbnb – 88 Lodge, 600 m long fr. Kaohsiung MRT
- Taichung – Airbnb – New Room Near SOGO
Taipei – Zhongshan (Taiwan)
- Airbnb
- Destination Report (Not available)
Second trip outside of Taipei (Taiwan)
- Tainan City – Airbnb – Little apartment in Tainan
- Hualien – AIrbnb – Downtown Large Bright Studio
2021
Cabries (France)
- Airbnb – cottage near Aix en Provence Marseille
- Destination Report (Not available)
Lausanne (Switzerland)
- Airbnb – The two maples
- Destination Report (Not available)
Kaohsiung (Taiwan)
- Airbnb – Phoenix True Love
- Destination Report (Not available)
2022
Taipei – Da’An (Taiwan)
- Airbnb
- Destination Report (Not available)
Sa Riera (Spain / Costa Brava)
Prato (Italy)
- Airbnb – Milo’s house
- Destination Report (Not available)
Coolum Beach (Australia)
- Airbnb – BOAT SHED- cute cottage easy walk to beach & shops
- Destination Report (Not available)
Gold Coast Road Trip (Australia)
- Krishna Village – https://krishnavillage-retreat.com/
- Byron Bay – Airbnb – Best Location In Byron Bay
- Vallah Beach – Airbnb – The Love Shack
- Balmoral – Airbnb – Palm Room, lakeside
- Islington – Airbnb – ‘Windows’ studio hideaway in bustling Islington
Sydney (Australia)
- Airbnb – Massive Warehouse Loft Apartment
- Destination Report (Not available)
Ubud (Indonesia / Bali)
Chiang Mai (Thailand)
2023
Ko Samui (Thailand)
Siem Reap (Cambodia)
Hanoi (Vietnam)
Taipei – Guting (Taiwan)
- Airbnb – Near MRT Guting station’s apartment
- Destination Report (Not available)
Taipei – Shilin (Taiwan)
- Airbnb – LOHAS Home
- Destination Report (Not available)
Booking.com
Please find below the list of the places we’ve booked through Booking.com. We opted for this platform for shorter-term stays, as it offers a plethora of accommodations with highly flexible cancellation policies for such stays. We found that the prices for these shorter stays are often more competitive compared to Airbnb, making it an excellent choice for our needs.
Note: Links to the accommodations below are affiliate links, meaning that if you click and purchase any of them, Nomad Numbers may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please review our disclaimer page.
2019
Douro Valley (Portugal)
Koh Lipe (Thailand)
- Booking.com listing
- Destination Report (Not available)
Langkawi (Malaysia)
- Booking.com listing
- Destination Report (Not available)
2020
Kenting (Taiwan)
- Booking.com listing (Not available)
- Destination Report (Not available)
3 days Biking trip from Hualien t Taichung (Taiwan)
Lüdao (Taiwan)
- Booking.com listing (Not Available)
- Destination Report (Not Available)
Green Island (Taiwan)
- Booking.com listing
- Destination Report (Not Available)
Taichung (Taiwan)
- Booking.com listing
- Destination Report (Not Available)
2021
Penghu (Taiwan)
- Booking.com listing (Not available)
- Destination Report (Not available)
2022
Lake Como (Italy)
La Spezia (Italy)
- Airbnb (Not available)
- Destination Report (Not available)
2023
Mae Hong Son Loop (Thailand)
Koh Tao (Thailand)
Nihn Binh (Vietnam)
Others
Last but not least, there were a few places we booked on other platforms that we wanted to list as well.
2022
Nadi (Fiji)
- Hotel listing
- How we booked 6 international one way tickets + 5 nights at a high-end resort in Fiji for $400
- Destination Report (Not available)
Brisbane (Australia)
- Hotel listing
- Destination Report (Not available)
2023
Ha Long Bay (Vietnam)
How much we spent on accommodation for 5 years
Over the course of these 5 years, our total accommodation expenses amounted to $59,000 USD, translating to less than $1,000 a month on average!
However, it’s important to note that we prioritize spending quality time with our respective families and, as a result, stayed with them for a total of 358 days during this period. Taking this into consideration, our actual monthly average on accommodations would be $1,223. While COVID19 did impact our initial projections slightly, we continue to find ways to make our travels both enriching and cost-effective.
Our best tips to get the most value of your travel accommodation
As mentioned previously, one of our primary strategies to save on accommodation expenses is to book extended 4+ week stays on Airbnb, which often comes with a generous monthly discount. However, we’ve honed numerous additional tips and techniques over the past 5 years to secure hassle-free accommodations with exceptional hosts.
To explore these valuable insights and avoid repetition, we invite you to delve into our comprehensive guide: “Top Tips to Save Money & Score Great Deals on Airbnb” It’s packed with essential information that will help you make the most of your Airbnb bookings and enhance your travel experience.
Our bottom line
Wow, writing this post has been quite a journey, but we truly believe it will be of great value to you. Some of you have reached out, expressing curiosity about the places we’ve stayed in, and we sincerely hope this post serves as a valuable resource to gather all of them in one location and also enable you to experience some of the wonderful destinations we’ve had the privilege to call home.
We would love to hear from you about these places, so please make sure to leave us a comment in the comments section.
8 Comments
Eileen Chu · August 7, 2023 at 5:48 pm
Love this compilation!! Thanks for working hard on it.
Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 7, 2023 at 11:05 pm
Thank you Eileen! A few readers kept asking us about the places we’ve been staying at, so glad that this post if finally out! Do you have a favorite one by looking at our pictures?
Gerri · August 8, 2023 at 2:00 pm
Super helpful! All of these look interesting though the place in Lake Como is especially appealing. It seems a little risky to book a month sight unseen. Have you ever shown up to a place and realized you didn’t want to stay there for a month?
Mr. Nomad Numbers · August 9, 2023 at 12:16 am
Hello Gerri! We’ve found that, personally, we haven’t encountered a situation where a month felt like too much time. In fact, we believe that the concept of ‘fast travel,’ where you spend a week or less in a destination, can sometimes lead to a rushed experience. Even when we visited a relatively small island like Aruba, which mainly offers beach activities, we made sure to embrace a leisurely routine each morning and allow ourselves time to unwind and reflect. For us, it’s all about striking a balance between engaging in activities and taking moments for self-reflection. Additionally, we invest a significant amount of time in upfront research. When it comes to booking accommodations on platforms like Airbnb, we pay close attention to reviews from those who have stayed for a month. This approach helps us spot potential issues or red flags that might arise. We’re curious though Gerri: how long do you typically stay in places? Have you ever encountered the challenges you mentioned earlier? Your insights would be greatly appreciated!
Gerri · August 9, 2023 at 7:40 pm
We prefer slow travel too. I was referring mainly to the Airbnb. For example, we stayed in an Airbnb in Porto Portugal where the stairs turned out to be very steep (bothered my knee), we could quite clearly hear neighbors at certain times of the day, and the internet would hop from something like 3 mbps to 100+ and back! (Not great for working, which I do on the road). It was only for a week – a month would have proven challenging. I guess that’s my big concern about booking a long-term rental sight unseen. What happens if we really don’t like it? Thanks for the response – always enjoy your posts!
Lauren Siba · February 1, 2024 at 4:00 am
Hi,
Thanks so much for compiling this helpful list!
The Da Nang and Siem Riep Airbnb links don’t work.
Also: Do you have a more recent packing list post? The Mrs version is from 2019 and Mr version is 2018 and I’m wondering if anything has changed in your respective packing strategies?
Thanks again!
Mr. Nomad Numbers · February 4, 2024 at 2:07 am
Hi Lauren
Airbnb hosts do close/open new listings over time so this is probably why these links aren’t working anymore. We will reach out to them and see if they have a new listing for their place. It could also be possible that they have decided to take long term tenants and temporarily close their listing at the moment
Our packing list has evolved a bit and you can see the major changes in this blog post: https://www.nomadnumbers.com/evolution-of-our-travel-packing-list-for-long-term-travel/
Unveiling the Real Costs of Our 5-Year Slow Travel Adventure Across the Globe — Nomad Numbers · August 17, 2023 at 2:33 pm
[…] the wonders of 18 different countries, savored in the experiences of 48 unique destinations, all while staying at 70+ distinctive Airbnb!. This journey has been a remarkable one, and today, we’re excited to unveil the financial […]